


One Little Zap (is so not cool)

by tothecosmos



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: DannyMay (Danny Phantom), F/M, Gen, Gray Ghost (a teeny bit), Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24064753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothecosmos/pseuds/tothecosmos
Summary: Danny is stuck in ghost mode after something in his parents' lab zapped him. He doesn't want to miss an important history test, so the gang formulated a plan for him to get through school as Phantom. Valerie isn't fooled for a second.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Valerie Gray
Comments: 59
Kudos: 393





	1. The Next Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [we are all walking each other home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007549) by [anthrop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthrop/pseuds/anthrop). 



> This fic is inspired and a "continuation" of a fic by anthrop called "we are all walking each other home." I recommend you go read that first! Now writing this on my part was _entirely_ self indulgent and I can't guarantee there won't be inconsistencies from anthrop's story. So take that with a grain of salt and know that this is actually my first fic! (or at least the first one I've decided to finally post). I basically worked up the motivation and courage to post this under the guise of dannymay. It works well with the prompt "stuck" and "eyes" so I'm just rolling with it!
> 
> If you don't read anthrop's fic (booo to you), here's the sitch: Last night after getting stuck in ghost mode, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz helped Danny prepare for school, hiding his ghostly appearance by applying makeup, nail poilish, a hat, some gloves, and a hoodie to Danny.

When Danny woke up, things felt even weirder. 

He knew he was still stuck in his ghost form. A quick glance around the room, illuminated by an eerie green glow, told him this. Unless there was actually a ghost behind him or something.

He whipped his head around to look. Just a headboard. Without fail, some of the green glow followed his field of vision.

But he didn't _feel_ like he was in ghost mode. His core was so muted he felt human. He didn't feel weightless. Instead he felt grounded. He willed himself to float up. Nothing happened.

Okay, so maybe he should feel less like he's human and more like he was zapped by the Plasmius Maximus or something. But that normally wouldn't force him to stay in his ghost form.

"Crud."

Danny rolled out of bed, blinking to establish that he was indeed awake. Then he processed the blaring noise. Something had been assaulting his ears since he woke up. Right- alarm clock. Turning it off, he ran to the opposite wall.

This wall would lead to Jazz's room if it granted him passage. News flash, it didn't. Brushing his finger against the wall, he reached for his core again. Not even a little spurt of intangibility. He blew air out through tight lips. Guess it was time to go with the plan.

He opened his door a crack. There was no sign of Mom and Dad. They were probably already knee-deep in their own lab work. "Bright and early!" Dad would say, flipping his goggles onto his face and thumping down the stairs.

Danny tiptoed across the hall and began his morning routine.

It felt so weird, doing normal things as a not-so-normal ghost. Brushing your ghostly teeth. Washing your platinum white hair. Phantom was normally reserved for Hero Business. He had no reason to be in ghost form otherwise. Besides, it was risky to be seen as Phantom in places Fenton resided.

He threw on his usual jeans and t-shirt, accompanied by the accessories from last night: a black beanie, fingerless gloves, sunglasses, and a hoodie. If he didn't feel normal before, now he really felt like a different person. He never wore hats of gloves. Jackets were only necessary to hide injuries. And of course, there was the bright lime nail polish. Sam and Jazz got a little carried away last night, huh? He just hoped they all didn't take it off afterwards. They'll be dead if he's the only one wearing nail polish today.

In record time, he was ready to go. The makeup Sam applied last night still looked intact, so most of his glow was hidden. He shuffled uncomfortably down the hall and knocked on Jazz's door. "Jazz, are you ready?"

A second later, she greeted him, carrying a handful of books. "Yep. You're up earlier than usual." She shifted on her feet, scanning Danny with her eyes. Probably judging his attempts to look discreet. Her shoulder connected with the doorframe. "And wouldn't you rather fly to school?"

Danny was expecting it, and he blurted out immediately. "I can't. I can't go intangible either. I think I lost my powers."

He must have come across more panicked than he thought, because Jazz quickly stepped forward, trying to calm him. "Hold on a second, let's not jump to conclusions. Did you try everything?"

"No."

"Then try something else."

Danny exhaled slowly, lifted his hand, and produced a small, green flame at the tip of his finger, keeping his black glove from setting on fire.

"See?" Jazz said, "I don't think it took away your powers," she freed a hand from her books to pat Danny on the shoulder, and disappeared into her room.

"Can we just hurry up and go before mom and dad come back upstairs?"

Jazz was back in the doorway, dangling her car keys in his face. She raised an eyebrow.

Danny gave her a sour look, batting her hand away. She pretended to not notice his outburst and they went downstairs.

"Mom, Dad, I'm driving Danny to school! See ya tonight," Jazz yelled down to the lab.

Mom responded, "Isn't it a bit early? You still have thirty more minutes."

"Yeah, but I've got reading to do, and Danny wants to study for his history test," Jazz said.

"Okay. Good luck on your test Danny."

"Thanks, Mom," Danny croaked, half tired and half trying to restrain the echo in his voice.

Jazz turned to him, whispering, "You can wait in my car until about halfway through second period. Bring this," she handed him a fake note, announcing his eyes had been dilated.

Danny hesitantly picked the note out of her hand, holding it between two fingers.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the car, Danny leaned back, nervous about passing cars. He knew he would be unrecognizable, but it still felt weird being Phantom. Slouching as much as possible, he brought up their previous conversation. "There's still no reason for why I can't fly or go intangible."

After a short pause, Jazz replied, "Maybe your ghost body is tired. Don't you normally revert to human form when you're exhausted?"

"Yeah," Danny said, "but I haven't done anything exhausting to force myself to turn back."

"You also normally turn back when you fall asleep. Maybe since you spent the whole night in ghost form, and your body couldn't revert back, you're too low on energy to use stronger ghost powers."

"As simple as an answer as that sounds, I really need to be able to use my powers if a ghost shows up," Danny said, tightening his jaw. That was his biggest concern in all of this. So what if someone realizes Phantom came to school instead of Fenton? He could always make a cover story later. But he couldn't undo damage caused by any ghosts that get cocky today.

"Welp, we'll cross that bridge when it burns," Jazz said.

Danny could hear her holding back a smile when she said it. He sighed and looked out the window, turning his face away from her as much as possible. "That wasn't funny. I know you said that on purpose."

"Come on! I'm just trying to cheer you up. You need to focus on that test anyway. That's the only reason we're letting you go to school today, anyway." Jazz said, letting her smile show this time.

"Yeah whatever."


	2. At School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Danny was late. Again. Or maybe he'd just miss the whole class. Again." Valerie intervenes when she realizes something's off.

Danny was late. Again. Or maybe he'd just miss the whole class. Again.

Valerie glanced at his open seat with regret. If she had continued dating him, maybe he would have opened up to her more. Maybe she could have learned his reasons for always struggling to prioritize school. What if she could have helped him?

Actually, it was better this way. This was good for her and for Danny. He wouldn't get caught up in Valerie's dangerous ghost business, and she wouldn't get dragged into whatever has been disrupting his life lately. They were in totally different worlds. Poor Danny.

Finally, he walked in. He looked somewhat hesitant. Doctor's note in hand. Suddenly, the need to protect him from ghosts spiraled into a full-blown emergency. This wasn't Danny. Not anymore.

On a regular day, she might not bat an eye at his fashion statement. It wouldn't be a surprise if Sam forced him to try out her weird style. The black gloves and beanie were so not Danny's choice. On any other day, Valerie wouldn't be surprised to see Danny wearing that bright green nail polish, because she was sure Tucker and Sam would have polish to match. A stupid night goofing off in Sam's room. An unspoken inside joke. The things Sam could get her friends to do.

But this was obviously not a regular day. Danny was not here. Not currently. She could feel the ghost's presence, overshadowing her friend and trying its best to act natural. It honestly wasn't doing the worst job ever at impersonating him.

"I have a note, Mr. Lancer," he said.

Her eyebrows shot up when she heard him speak. He spoke quietly, but she could hear it. Even though the ghost was using Danny's vocal cords, it was doing a terrible job hiding its echo. 

That would explain why he was speaking so quietly. He was trying to cover it up.

Danny's wardrobe made more sense now, too. Ghosts usually stick to their own style when they overshadow someone. They turn the victim into a whole new person, and this sometimes makes it _extremely_ obvious that they are being overshadowed.

If only he would take off his sunglasses. Then she could catch the ghost red-eyed.

So _that's_ why. Optometrist her ass. Danny never mentioned anything about needing his eyes checked. It was all a cover up. This ghost was surprisingly smart enough to think about Danny's eyes being red, yet it had the audacity to wear that? Maybe it genuinely had no idea what Danny preferred to wear.

That didn't matter, though. This ghost was as good as caught. It chose the wrong person's friend to mess with.

Valerie restrained herself for the rest of class. She acted natural, but kept a close eye on Danny. The ghost's acting was impressive, and Valerie again realized that she could have been fooled if it weren't for her ghostly experience. But despite his impressive acting, Danny never talked to her, or even looked at her. And he was on edge. Looked like he would lash out any minute.

Valerie didn't like that.

She watched him closely, formulating a plan to get rid of this parasite.

When the bell rang, Valerie's bag was already packed, strap tight in her grip. She leaned back and waited for the ghost. Just as she expected, Danny didn't talk to her after class. Instead, he quickly jumped up and was one of the first out of the room. Totally not suspicious, ghost.

Following her plan, she trailed him. Keeping his head low and steps quick, he made his way to the back of the school. Valerie mirrored his movement from a safe distance. He took a right. Valerie grinned.

It was only a matter of time before he'd pass the janitor's closet. She closed the space between them as he neared the door.

He passed it. With her right hand she twisted the handle. Unlocked. With her left hand she grabbed his wrist.

"Hey- whoa, Valerie!" the ghost blurted as he turned to identify the grip on his arm.

The ghost knew her name. The thought made her blood boil.

She didn't speak, and pulled him back several feet, shoving him into the closet. He stumbled along, only resisting slightly.

In the next second, Valerie closed the door. She turned back around. In the pale light, she could make out his heavy breathing. She lunged forward and pinned him to the wall, her forearm pressing across his neck and shoulders. His breath quickened.

For a moment, she could only hear that and her own breathing. Her arm, although held over his breathing form, stiffly refused to move. "Whoever you are, you'd better get out of Danny _right now_."

She wouldn't risk hurting Danny. She knew the ghost couldn't use its powers until it left his body, so it couldn't harm her either. Her best option was scaring it out of him. Then she could fight it normally.

Between breaths, he replied, "Valerie! What- I'm not- what are you talking about?"

Now that he was distracted, it was so easy to hear the echo in his voice. And in the darkness of the closet, there was a faint green glow under his skin. She figured that with his sunglasses on, he probably couldn't even see right now. Valerie's own eyes were still adjusting to the darkness.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, ghost," she said, consonants sharp. "And if you don't get out of Danny right now, my study break will consist of making sure you regret it."

'Danny' looked down at her, fear eminent on his face. "W-Why would you think I'm a ghost?"

"Cut the act. You think you can get away with overshadowing Danny by wearing this dumb costume?"

His fear morphed into annoyance, "Hey! I didn't choose to wear this. It was Sam's dumb idea!" Now he sounded offended. Either he was good at acting or Valerie wasn't doing a good job at scaring him.

"And I'm guessing it was also Sam's idea to give you green skin?"

"What?" He looked down at himself. She could especially see green peeking through on his fingers, between the glove and his fingernails.

That was when Valerie realized his face was glowing significantly less. As she looked more intently, it appeared that he was wearing makeup to mask the glow on his face. This must be an uncommon side effect of overshadowing.

He looked back up at Valerie, a cheeky grin on his face. Some stupid excuse was being formulated in his head.

Valerie huffed and slapped the sunglasses off his face. The ghost was too quick, shutting his eyes tight when he realized the sunglasses were moving. He pulled his head back against the wall, putting as much distance between their faces as possible.

Valerie couldn't take it anymore! He was acting so suspicious now anyway! She knew he was overshadowed, so why was he still trying to hide it?

Nevertheless, she still had him pinned against the wall. He was at a disadvantage. Danny wasn't strong enough for the ghost to be able to fight her off.

She kept her hold on him and raised her voice. "Stop trying to cover it up. I can hear the echo in your voice damn it!" She slammed her fist against the wall.

The noise startled him enough to crack his eyes open. But instead of the red she expected, a bright green poured out. He looked at her, expressionless.

This couldn't be regular overshadowing. This was something else.

Valerie's eyes widened. "What _are_ you?"


	3. At School - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has no hope of getting out of this without his secret intact. He still tries, though. A sad, sad, measly little try.

Confused, Valerie pulled back a little from her hold on Danny's body. Or what she thought was Danny's body. Was this a shapeshifting ghost? Did that mean it could still use its powers? Why hadn't it used them yet? If this wasn't Danny's body, where was he? He could be anywhere. He could be in big trouble!

The ghost took advantage of her shock and scrambled to the door. She reached for him, and yanked off his hat, revealing familiar glowing white hair.

" _Phantom_." Now it was obvious he wasn't Danny. She'd dealt with Phantom before.

She lifted her arm and a blaster assembled into her grip, ready to shoot.

"Okay okay okayokayokay, wait." Phantom held both hands up in an attempt to be placating. But Valerie knew he could kill her in an instant if he summoned an ectoblast from either hand.

"Give me one reason not to shoot right now," she said.

"Because I'm not here to do any harm. Please trust me. I can explain everything if you give me a chance," he said, voice full of hope.

He was obviously bluffing, but Valerie didn't know where Danny was. This could be his life on the line if she didn't listen.

"Okay, then tell me, ghost, where's Danny?" she offered.

Phantom's eager expression fell to sadness. "Danny is… okay. I promise." His eyes wandered to the floor.

That wouldn't cut it. "Where is he?" Valerie said through gritted teeth. She hefted her gun and aimed it at him, half-pressing the trigger to let it charge up. It picked up a whine that slowly heightened.

Eyes widening, Phantom cut in, "He's here, okay!"

"You'll have to be more _specific_ ," Valerie sang over the ever-increasing noise.

"He's right here!" Phantom gestured to himself.

"Not this again-"

"I'm Danny!"

Valerie's finger let off the trigger, thinking for a moment. She readjusted, bringing her other arm up to support the blaster. "You know which Danny I mean."

"There's only one Danny, Val." His voice was suddenly quiet.

That tone of voice, combined with _Val_. Her breath caught in her throat.

He continued in a shaky voice, "I'm Fenton." He shrugged. Various areas of the room lit up in green as his eyes wandered. They never landed on Valerie.

She didn't realize she lowered her gun. But she didn't believe him, either. It all felt wrong. There's no way Danny could be Phantom. Okay, their names being similar was a little weird. But that proved nothing.

Danny could never be such a terrible ghost. She knew Danny. Danny would never do the things Phantom did. Danny hated attention. He wouldn't go perform public stunts just to get on the news. He wasn't evil. And he wasn't a ghost! It wasn't possible! She would have noticed if he was a ghost!

But how did that explain that Phantom looked _exactly_ like Danny? Before she realized he was Phantom, she thought Danny was being overshadowed. Before she saw his eyes and hair, she still thought she was dealing with Danny's body.

She realized she had been staring for a while when he spoke again, finally looking at her. "There is no Phantom. I made him up. I've always been Danny."

Even if this isn't Danny, there's still something weird going on.

"Then prove it," Valerie said. "Show me that you are Danny."

"I can't. That's why I came to school like this. I'm stuck in ghost mode and lost some of my powers. Something in the lab zapped me," he said. His shaky voice grew a little more confident, and a little more needy. It was like he was saying _please believe me_.

With that, she almost wanted to. But she could still hear the echo in his voice. He was still a ghost, and she couldn't immediately dismiss that this could all be a lie. A big scheme to get her defenseless.

"Then prove it some other way," she said. Her breathing finally slowed down to a normal pace.

"Uh… Tucker and Sam. And Jazz. They all know. Just ask them and they'll back me up. I swear-"

Valerie cut him off with a whine of her gun. His eyes snapped straight to it.

"I'm not leaving you unattended until I know for sure," Valerie said.

Phantom heaved a sigh. "Okay, just let me think…" he said. His eyes drifted again. A long pause as he searched his brain for the so-called proof. She let him think, though, because she would regret it if she was wrong.

And although she would never admit it, she liked watching him. She liked seeing a ghost worried, sweat running down his face in his last attempt to conjure up an excuse. She liked putting ghosts on edge. Making them uncomfortable to pay back for all the discomfort they caused humans.

Finally, he nodded to himself and looked straight back at Valerie. His bright green eyes bored into hers. She grew a little uneasy. There wasn't an ounce of playfulness on his face, or in his tone as he spoke. It wasn't the way Phantom normally acted, and it brought a weight down upon her.

"When we broke up. You said you had too much going on, and that I would never understand how complex your life was." He licked his lips and looked down for a second. Then his eyes snapped right back up again.

Valerie could only blindly fiddle with her watch to ease the tension.

Then a tiny smile bloomed on his lips. "And I said, 'Hey, my life is pretty complicated too. Even if you don't realize it, we might understand each other more than you think. If you want to reconsider, I'll be here." Keeping eye contact, he breathed slowly. A green glow peeked through the makeup on his face.

That… actually explained a lot. If Danny was Phantom, he was hunting ghosts just like Valerie was. And of course he knew she was the Red Huntress. He probably knew exactly why she broke up with him. She was trying to keep him out of ghost business to protect him. But obviously he was more involved with ghosts than she thought. Heck, his parents are ghost hunters. Why didn't she even consider the fact that he might be more than perfectly able to defend himself?

Because he acted like he wanted to avoid it. He complained about his parents' scientific monologues. He turned tail and _ran_ whenever a ghost showed up! Was he really running away, though?

That would explain his disappearances, too. She was only wondering _this morning_ what had caused him to miss school all the time. Wished she could do something about it. But he was doing the same thing as her.

It made perfect sense. Except the part about Danny being Phantom. Being a ghost.

"How?"

His heartfelt smile stretched into a cheeky grin. "I thought you'd ask that." He bounced a tiny bit, stretching his legs in the dark, cramped room. His smile then vanished and his tone became matter-of-fact. "When my parents first built the portal to the Ghost Zone. It didn't start up properly. I managed to turn it on, but it did something to me. Gave me ghost powers. Like a superhero. Heh. Didn't feel like I was a hero though, what with people attacking me and thinking I was a normal ghost."

"Don't your _parents_ attack you?" Valerie asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I never actually told anyone that I was Phantom before. Sam and Tuck only know because they were there when it happened. And my sister is so smart and nosy and privacy-invading that she found out pretty quickly. I wanted to tell my parents, but things just got more complicated as time went on. And people created more reasons to hold grudges against me."

"Oh my God." Valerie gasped. She felt her throat tighten. "I had one of those grudges. I could have hurt you! I did hurt you!" She slapped his arm weakly.

"Hey, it's okay. I should have told you," Danny said. Valerie felt his hands on her shoulders to stabilize her.

"Yeah, you should have," she cried out. She strained to produce the words. A burn in the back of her eyes. Half angry at herself, half angry at Danny. Her vision blurred. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, don't be sorry. I should have told you. Blame it on me. It's my fault for keeping this secret. I was being selfish." 

Valerie was about to counter that, and say, _No, that's not how a secret like this works. You had all the reason to keep it from me._ But she didn't get the chance to say it, because they both looked to the door as they heard a passing voice.

"Danny better have showed up after…" It sounded like Tucker.

"Guess they're looking for me," Danny said. He smiled again, this time a softer, more reserved smile.

"Yeah," Valerie nodded rubbing her eyes. She quickly dropped to the floor and rooted around for Danny's beanie and glasses. She stood back up and handed them to Danny. "Here you go. Sorry about that."

"Thanks," Danny slipped the beanie and sunglasses back on. He nonchalantly slipped out the door and walked down the hallway like a normal student. 

Valerie followed behind, trying her best to look casual as well, despite her puffy eyes and swirling thoughts. She caught up to Danny as he semi-yelled "Tuck!" down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omgomgomg thank you all so much for the kudos and comments! This is my first little fic and it made me feel so good to see more support than I expected from what I feel like isn't very original. Y'all are giving me a lot of motiVATION and I'm feeling even more inspired to write and post stuff.
> 
> I plan to write (at least) 3 more chapters to continue this as a Maddie reveal, because I just couldn't resist. I had to write this as my first fic because it's healing for my SOUL.


	4. In the Hallway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie has a little talk with the gang. Now that she knows Danny's secret, they might as well let her in on some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback guys! Sorry this is a short one. I've been working on a lot of wip's, and it was kind of hard to be motivated to edit this story even though I've written most of it. I'll make sure to have it finished though!

Danny heard the door close behind him, making it apparent that they just exited a closet together.

"Whoa-ho-ho, you two have a fun time?" Tucker said, slinking back down the hall to meet Danny, Sam on his tail.

Danny glanced behind him at Valerie, and noticed in the light that her eyes were puffy. A little bit red. It made his core ache.

When he approached a normal speaking distance with the other two, Danny looked back at Tucker. "Shut up. This is important. She knows."

"Wait, like, _knows_ knows?" Sam cut in, suddenly defensive. She caught up to the group, and the three of them stood together.

"I'm really sorry guys. About everything." Valerie piped in from behind Danny. She only glanced up for a second, refusing to lift her head.

Tucker spoke almost immediately after, "And you didn't shoot him? That's awesome!"

Danny grinned back, "Yeah, well we got pretty close, didn't we?" He looked at Valerie.

Valerie's apologetic expression turned to confusion, then accusation. She looked back up. "Wait, you guys all know about me?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just kinda how it played out." Danny said.

"Okay, wow. This is gonna take some getting used to," Valerie said.

Danny couldn't agree more. This is definitely flipping Valerie's entire world view, but Danny also felt weird talking about ghost things around her.

"Ya think?" Tucker said. "You didn't tell her everything, did you, Danny?"

Danny did his best to glare at Tucker with his face half-covered by sunglasses. "Tucker, that little impromptu meetup was nowhere near enough time to tell her anything more than the big one."

"What about the other big one?" Sam said.

"What?" Danny asked.

"The one about, I don't know, Vlad?" She said, drawing out the halfa's name.

Valerie was clearly lost. "Wait, what are you all talking about?"

Sam turned sharply, still keeping up some aggressive tendencies around Valerie. "Let's just say Danny isn't the only half-ghost in the world. To be exact, we know about two more."

"Okay, I wouldn't be surprised. So what?"

"One of them," Tucker said, "is Vlad Masters."

"Vlad- Mr. _Masters_?" she hissed. "No way. I can't believe that."

"Yes, it's true. He was the first half-ghost that we know of. And he has this crazy obsession with Danny and his mom," Tucker said.

Valerie's blank expression prompted Danny to fix Tucker's vague explanation. "He went to college with my parents. They all studied paranormal stuff together. When he had the portal accident that made him half ghost, he grew pretty power hungry. And vengeful."

Sam added, "He's been scheming like crazy, trying to force Danny to join him. It kind of involved you being his… yeah."

Valerie nodded. "I was his lackey. Holy crap." She looked around, not sure what to say. "What should I do now?"

They thought for a moment, then Sam spoke first.

"You know what I think? I think you should keep working for him." Disapproving glances. "No, listen. You can keep getting new weapons and armor upgrades right? As long as he doesn't know your true intentions, we could get away with a lot. It'd be helpful to have a little inside information. Just pretend nothing changed."

Valerie looked hesitantly at Danny.

Sam continued, "If you don't wanna fake-hunt Phantom, just tell him you made a truce to get out of a tough situation."

"That sounds plausible…" Tucker said, stroking his chin as if he added something noteworthy to the conversation.

"What do you say, Val," Danny held out his hand, "truce?"

"Yeah," she replied, "truce."

The bell rang, signaling the end of their break period.

"See you later," Valerie said, smiling playfully as she turned down the hallway.

"Well," Danny said, turning to Tucker and Sam, "at least now we have English next. I can definitely get some studying done in there for my history test."

"I thought you were gonna study during break," Tucker said, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah, that was the plan until someone decided to force me to reveal my super secret identity," Danny said, trailing Sam and Tucker to their next class. "At least things will be better now." He looked forward to seeing Valerie later in Chemistry.


	5. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny still needs to figure out how to fix his whole "stuck in ghost mode" problem, and that means confronting another ghost hunter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's also super short. It's a scene I want to include but don't want to tack on to another chapter. I'm posting the next and more eventful chapter _immediately_. (Like seriously, if you read this without chapter 6 being posted, holy crap you're heckin' fast at checking updates.)

"Alright guys, I have good news and bad news," Danny announced, plopping into the booth with a basket of fries. "Bad news, I've lost more of my powers. After a full night and day in ghost mode, I don't think I can even do anything that involves ectoplasm."

"Dude, your skin isn't even glowing anymore," Tucker said.

"I know. It's pretty bad. Hence, bad news."

"Well, what's the good news?" Sam added.

"The good news? I have a plan," Danny said.

"Oh boy, that's _such_ good news Danny," Sam said, slouching with wide eyes. Valerie sent her a knowing glance. At least with Valerie, Sam wouldn't be the only one with common sense now.

"A plan to get back to normal?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah," Danny smiled, "here's the plan. I talked to Jazz right after school. She's gonna get my dad out of the house for the night. I'll call my mom and let her know that I'm spending the afternoon at Tucker's." He looked pointedly at Tucker, until Tucker looked up from the burger he was scarfing down and gave a brisk nod. Danny continued, "Valerie, I need you to do your best to cover any ghost attacks tonight. It might end up being a handful, but it'd be super helpful."

"Of course. It's the least I can do to help right now," she said.

"And me?" Sam asked.

"You are gonna expect a text from me every thirty minutes to make sure my mom hasn't killed or trapped me," Danny said.

"Wait, you're gonna ask your _mother_ to help give you, a hazardous ghost, your powers back?" Tucker asked, dropping his burger.

"Well, yeah, actually. Phantom's been getting a lot of good publicity lately, and my parents have started to digest the fact that he's done a lot to help keep ghosts at bay. Even if they don't fully support or trust him," Danny said, leaning back in pride of his great plan.

"And what do I do?" Tucker asked, blinking expectantly.

"You," Danny leaned forward again, resting his ghostly elbows on the table, "are gonna be my alibi for the night. You have to stay home and pretend that I'm there. Tell your parents."

"But that's so _boring_ -"

"So _important,_ might I add," Sam said, glaring at him across the table.

"Alright, then me and Human Danny are getting pizza, then playing video games into the wee hours of the night," Tucker said.

"Cool, you do that. But Danny," Sam said, "if I don't get a text every thirty minutes, I will call you. And if you don't pick up. I will. Walk my butt over and let myself in to guarantee that you are okay. Got it?"

"What if all the doors are locked?" Tucker countered.

"There are other ways to enter a house, you know."

Danny laughed. "Okay, I understand. No leaving you on read." His eyes lit up, "I'll make sure not to ghost you." That earned a slap from both girls. Great, now he could look forward to having both his arms assaulted in the future. Sam and Valerie tried to look angry, but Danny could tell they were smiling under those tough facades.

After their meals, everybody congregated in the alley outside. Danny changed into his regular hazmat suit, and Sam removed his makeup. Not like it would have been necessary. His glowing aura was gone at this point. Besides the fact that his eyes were a radioactive green, he looked human.

Valerie flew him to his house as Tucker and Sam went to their own homes. After Valerie dropped him next door and flew away, Danny spent too many minutes standing on his front porch, trying to calm his nerves and decide how to have a conversation with his mom. Wow. Talk about alter-ego problems.


	6. At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie was somehow granted a house to herself on a weekday afternoon. The last thing she expected was Phantom showing up, politely knocking on the door, asking for her help.

Maddie removed her rubber cleaning gloves. Having the house alone to herself was a tranquil rarity. She was able to actually get some kitchen cleaning done. Right away, the rubber gloves were replaced with her usual hazmat gloves, as she decided to clean the lab next.

Halfway down the stairs, she heard a knock on the door. Strange. There were no neighbors that were sociable enough to stop by unexpectedly. In fact, she rarely experienced knocks on the door at all. Only the occasional reporter wanting information about ghosts that Maddie couldn't or didn't want to answer.

All the more unexpected was Phantom, standing on her porch, smiling and waving awkwardly when she opened the door. As soon as her mind processed the ghost’s presence, she pulled her Ecto-Blaster up, ready to fire.

Phantom’s hopeful smile dropped to a small twitch, before he spoke up.

“I need your help.”

Maddie stared at him, mouth open. He came to the front door and didn’t phase into the house like most ghosts did. Her eyes panned down to his feet. He wasn’t floating. Was he trying to act more human? To appeal to her?

“Please, can I come in?”

Still in shock, Maddie couldn’t think of anything to do but open the door and let him step inside.

Like a lost puppy, he followed her to the kitchen before hesitantly sitting down on a stool. “Sorry to bother you like this. Like I said, I need help,” he said.

“You’re being awfully polite. Why should I help you?” she replied.

“Well,” he pulled mindlessly on a glove, “I sort of lost my powers. And if I can’t fight ghosts, you’ll have a lot more on your plate starting real soon. I’ll still try my best, but I doubt that’ll last long. Plus, I feel like you’re kind enough to help someone like me out.” He made a forced smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“How did you lose your powers?” She asked. Narrowing her eyes, she leaned on the counter across from him.

“Uh, I think somebody I was fighting zapped me with a fancy weapon. Something he mentioned about ‘ecto-suppression’. Sounds like it’d be reversible, right?”

“Yeah, I could probably figure something out. But saying you'll keep fighting ghosts isn’t quite enough to make me want to help.” She said. Judging Phantom's reaction, he looked like he was being honest, although he seemed nervous.

Of course he was nervous! This was the closest he’d been to Maddie without risk of getting burned. So far, that is. That could change depending on how their conversation went.

“Well, you’re always looking for new information on ghosts, right? I can answer some questions, tell you what I know. Maybe even give you some ectoplasm samples if I’m feeling generous,” he said, eyebrows high.

“Okay. I guess I could see if this is doable.” Maddie crossed her arms, giving a scrutinizing glare. “Stay here, I’m going to check for some things in the lab.”

With that, she started down the stairs. Her mind set to work on different methods that could give Phantom full control of his ectoplasm again. She paused halfway down the stairs. Giving him back his full power sounded kind of… scary.

She was disrupted from her thoughts by the sound of a phone ringing in the kitchen. Almost instantly, it stopped. “Hey, sorry.” Was that Phantom? On the phone?

She snuck back up the stairs to hear the conversation. “I know, I just… spent a lot of time outside first. And then, I haven’t had the chance to do it. We’ve been talking the whole time.”

Maddie peeked around the corner to see him leaning on the counter, back to her, with a cell phone held up to his ear. He looked so normal, it was almost funny. Maybe a powerless Phantom wouldn’t be too bad, after all.

“I couldn’t pull my phone out to text you without looking suspicious! Yeah. Yeah, she thinks her son is at Tucker’s.”

At these words, her mind jumped into overdrive. This was not as simple of a situation as she thought. It was a trick.

Without a second thought, Maddie re-equipped her Ecto-Blaster, and snuck up the stairs, approaching him from behind.

“Thanks, I think it’s gonna work out-” 

She grabbed his shoulder, easily flinging him backwards onto the kitchen floor. He was not nearly as strong without his powers.

“What did you do with my son?” she yelled. The phone had dropped to the floor, and someone else was still on the line. One glance at the phone, plus hearing the ringtone earlier, and she knew it was Danny’s.

Her knees pinned down his shoulders, blaster pointed at his face.

“Wait! I didn’t do anything to your son! Please!” He begged, neck straining to sit up.

“Really?” She asked, unwavering. “Then why do you have his _phone_?”

He looked at the blaster in his face as he continued to ramble. Maddy couldn’t even process what he was saying. Endless babbling excuses and cries. Her entire mind could only focus on her worry for Danny. Was he really not at Tucker’s?

Phantom was hyperventilating at this point. Maddie felt her blood boil as his voice broke and he failed to provide any sort of explanation. Finally, what caught her ears was a whine coming from the ghost.

"Mom, please…"

Maddie’s heart broke. The blaster, along with her adrenaline, lowered slowly. After that, she didn’t move. Just stared.

He seemed to notice her reaction and widened his eyes in panic. “I didn’t mean… I mean…” he sighed, dropping his head to the floor and closing his eyes.

Maddie didn’t move. She barely allowed herself to breathe, scared that any noise or movement would disrupt this sudden eye of the storm inside her.

All she needed was that little idea, and she already started seeing things. He wasn't glowing, and his green eyes were closed, hidden from her view. He looked so obviously familiar.

The house was dead silent, neither party daring to move or speak. The boy trembled slightly, either out of shock, or the cold from the tiled floor sinking into his back.

Finally, Maddie spoke, barely above a whisper.

“Danny?”

His eyes opened, staring off sideways down the hallway. He took a deep breath, disturbing Maddie’s current position as she held him down.

“Yeah,” he let out on the exhale. He turned his head straight, still not looking at her, but staring blankly at the ceiling. “It’s me.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Maddie's voice quivered, still hardly audible.

Danny started when the phone three feet from his head started ringing. Who knows how many times it rang alongside their yelling.

He slowly reached for it, and pressed answer. He brought it up to his ear, and now that Maddie was closer, she could hear the conversation.

“Hello.”

“Danny.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“I’m fine.”

“I said what happened?”

Danny paused, closing his eyes. “She knows.”

“I’m coming over.”

“You don’t have to-” she hung up. He turned off his phone, dropping it back on the floor.

“Sam’s on her way now, I guess,” he said, rubbing a hand down his face.

Maddie backed away from Danny and sat on the floor. She tucked her knees into her chest. “So, can you explain, please?” Maddie asked. She felt like her head might explode if she went another minute staring at her son’s ghost. She could feel her eyes burning, tears threatening to spill. “Did you… are you?”

He already knew what she was asking. “I’m not dead,” he confirmed, propping himself up to a sitting position. He rubbed the back of his head, clearly bruised, if not worse, from her tackle.

She was relieved to hear that he wasn't dead, but felt terrible again to see him rub his head. “I’m so sorry, baby,” she said, hesitantly stretching a hand out. He was slightly too far away to reach.

He got up into a kneel, making two steps on his knees to reach her. Letting her hug him. Feeling her tears on his skin.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered again.

Finally tears broke out of his eyes, “It’s not your fault, mom.” His voice cracked again.

“I was so mean. I’ve done so much to hurt you,” she whined into his shoulder.

He rocked back and forth as they held each other, “I chose not to tell you. I should have told you,” he softly argued back.

She pulled away to look him in the eyes, “But I’m your mother. We’re supposed to just know everything.” She ran her thumb through his bleach-white hair.

“Let’s be real, mom. This isn’t normal teenager stuff.”

She laughed, and went in again for a long, tight hug.

\---------------------

They were still in a hug when the front door creaked open, but Maddie didn’t seem to budge. Sam peeked around the corner, and Danny looked up at her. After a moment, he slowly nodded. Sam smiled in return, and quietly left.

After Maddie composed herself, she kneeled and gripped Danny by the shoulders. “Well, let’s go get you that ecto-suppressor fixer, alright?” She sniffed, then stood up.

Maddie squeezed his shoulder, and retreated to the lab. Danny sat on the floor, silent for a moment, and looked around the kitchen. The Ecto-Blaster was still sprawled on the floor, as well as his phone and some scuff marks. Crazy change of atmosphere. He smiled, then headed to the lab.

Danny crept down the stairs, observing his mother. She was already in her ‘scientist’ mindset, but made an effort to throw him a small smile before returning to her work. He sauntered over to the examination table, hopping up to sit. She was entirely invested already. Danny imagined her mind churning with different theories and scraps of ghost knowledge.

Her back was entirely facing him. She totally trusted him, just like that, able to slip back and focus one hundred percent on her gadgets.

He spoke up several minutes later, making sure to clarify that he actually was zapped by one of their inventions last night while cleaning the lab. That definitely made it easier to procure a solution to their problem. Maddie laughed at the irony.

For several hours that night, Danny explained how he became a halfa and some of the ghost profiles he had, as well as general ghost knowledge and his experience with the ghost zone. Maddie sat, tinkering with the gadget she was working on, nodding along to his stories and sometimes adding comments.

This was the most real, honest time they’ve spent together since before the accident. It was refreshing.

When Jazz and Jack came home, Maddie called for him to go ahead and get some sleep. Jazz popped her head in to exchange a small smile and wave with Danny, before she called it a night as well.

It approached 2:30 in the morning, and Maddie called to Danny, who was spaced out since their last conversation.

“I believe this should work,” she said, holding up her new invention, and making it dance by tilting it back and forth.

“Okay, I’m ready to try it,” Danny said.

“Wait, not yet. You still owe me some samples, you know,” she pulled the gadget back towards herself and waved a finger.

Danny’s jaw dropped. 

“Hey, I’m not gonna miss this opportunity for some new data!” she said.

But he was not hesitant to let her draw a blood-like sample of ectoplasm from his arm.

And then she brought the anti-ecto suppressor up to him, as he sat up on the examination table.

“You ready? This will shock you a little,” she said, and he nodded. She removed the safety cap from her new, taser-like contraption, and pressed it to his arm as she clicked the button. He reflexively jerked his arm away, but she saw the electricity travel up his arm.

“How long should it take?” Danny asked.

“Only a couple seconds, I’d assume. That’s how the other one worked, right?”

Danny didn’t need to answer, though. A glow slowly returned to his features, and he slowly began to hover up off the bench.

“Ha! Jazz was wrong for once. She thought I lost my powers because I was in ghost form too long.” He playfully rose higher off the bench.

“Should you be able to turn back now?”

Danny looked at her, but didn’t speak. Instead, a bright white ring formed around his waist, and as it traveled across his body, brought the Danny she was used to. He was even wearing yesterday’s clothes.

She held up her arms, and Danny hopped down to give her another hug, warmer this time.

“It’s good to see you again, Danny.”

“You too," he laughed.

“I think it’s time to go up to bed, yeah?” Maddie asked. Danny slowly blinked in agreement.

“Good night, I love you.” Maddie said,

“-ove you too” he muttered shyly.

As he began climbing the stairs, she added one more thing, “Hey.”

He stopped, halfway up, and turned to look at her.

“Don’t worry about setting an alarm tomorrow. I’ll wake you up.”

“Okay. ‘Night.”

Danny plopped into his bed without a second thought. He let out a big breath, embracing the relief of the day's end. Although it was so stressful and exhausting, he never thought such a stupid little zap from some dumb invention would change his life so much.

He smiled into his bed sheets. He couldn’t be happier the way things played out. And his half-life was about to become much easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is officially "the end" but I will probably post a few fluff mini-epilogues that I just kept writing afterwards. Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments! Being my first fic, it was super exciting and inspiring to see an email every morning, hearing that people are continuously enjoying my story!


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